Friend to Friend: “Every Member a Missionary”

By President S. Dilworth Young

of the Council of the Seventy

“Every Member a Missionary”

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Children of the Church throughout the world learn to repeat the thirteen Articles of Faith. These inspired statements declare that we believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and that we are willing to obey them. In order to obey, we must know whom to obey, when to obey, and what to obey.

Our Heavenly Father has given to President Spencer W. Kimball the responsibility of leadership in the Church. We obey him and those he appoints to be our leaders. He and his two counselors, President N. Eldon Tanner and President Marion G. Romney, form a presidency.

The First Presidency presides over the entire Church, but these leaders must have additional help. For this reason our Heavenly Father has provided a quorum known as the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. A quorum is a group of men acting together with a united purpose. These men counsel together, assist the First Presidency, and bear special witness to the world that Jesus is the Christ. Because they talk and work closely together, they are generally called the Council of the Twelve.

Our Heavenly Father has also appointed a group of seven men to work and perform assignments under the direction of the Council of the Twelve. These men are known as the First Council of the Seventy, and they preside over the seventies of the Church and supervise all missionary work. Pictures of the seven presidents of this council appear on page 20.

Today there are about 23,500 seventies in the Church. They seek and find those who are not members of the Church and teach them the principles and ordinances of the gospel, just as you learn about them in the Articles of Faith.

Although missionary work is the chief responsibility of seventies, all members of the Church should be missionaries and share the gospel with others whenever and wherever they can.

You boys and girls can serve as missionaries by learning more about the gospel and being examples to your friends and neighbors. Many of you will some day grow up and go on missions away from your homes, carrying the gospel message to different lands and people. Others will serve as missionaries at home, in school, or military service. But wherever you share the gospel, our Heavenly Father will be pleased, for He knows missionary work brings great blessings to others as well as to yourselves.